Charles R. Goulding and Preeti Sulibhavi present how Bryan Costello’s lived experience and pipe-fitting background sparked a breakthrough in temperature-regulated prosthetics, setting a new standard for comfort and mobility.
Bryan Costello isn’t a biomedical engineer or a tech CEO by training. He’s a former nuclear power plant pipe fitter with a background in high-pressure systems and thermal regulation. What he is, however, is an amputee with a mission—and he’s using his trade skills and lived experience to change the world of prosthetics.
After a devastating motorcycle accident that took his leg, Bryan found himself grappling not just with the physical challenges of amputation, but with the secondary complications, few outside the amputee community fully understand. One of the most persistent and uncomfortable of these: temperature extremes.
The Hidden Pain Point in Prosthetics: Temperature Regulation
Traditional prosthetics—especially those made with carbon fiber and similar materials—conduct temperature very effectively. In the summer, they trap heat. In the winter, they become ice-cold almost immediately after exposure to the elements. These fluctuations aren’t just mildly uncomfortable—they can be painful, even dangerous.
Amputees often experience skin irritation, blistering, and excessive sweating. The latter can lead to slippage, reduced mobility, and even infections. Meanwhile, frigid winter temperatures make outdoor activities feel like torture, discouraging amputees from going outside or participating in sports. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it cuts into a person’s quality of life and long-term health.
Bryan Costello saw this problem firsthand. And instead of accepting it as inevitable, he decided to fix it.
Thinking Like a Pipe Fitter
Bryan’s background gave him a unique perspective. In a nuclear plant, pipes must carry liquids or gases at controlled temperatures and pressures. Systems have to be designed with precision to regulate flow and maintain safety. When Bryan looked at his prosthetic limb, he didn’t see a static piece of machinery—he saw a conduit, something that could be engineered for thermal control.
Using the same principles he applied in pipe fitting, he began to prototype prosthetics with integrated heating and cooling systems. His designs include miniature HVAC units—literally, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning—built into the prosthetic itself. These systems help regulate the temperature inside the socket and keep the interface between skin and carbon fiber comfortable, regardless of whether it’s freezing or swelteringly hot outside.
This innovation allows amputees to do things that were previously uncomfortable or impossible: go skiing in January, hike in July, or simply enjoy a walk in unpredictable weather without worrying about sweating through a socket liner or freezing their residual limb.
Costello Prosthetics: A Company With Purpose
Bryan didn’t stop at prototypes. He launched Costello Prosthetics, a company dedicated to advancing temperature-regulated prosthetic systems. (Insert company website link here.) The company is actively working with Paragon, a major medical device consultant, to obtain a coveted L-code—a reimbursement code that would allow U.S. healthcare providers to cover his prosthetics under insurance.
This step is critical. Many amputees rely on insurance coverage for medical devices, and without an L-code, innovations like Bryan’s HVAC-integrated prosthetics remain out of financial reach for many. With a successful L-code designation, this technology could be rolled out nationally—and eventually globally—to dramatically improve the quality of life for millions.
Beyond Prosthetics: Medical Transport and Military Use
As Bryan continued to explore applications for his technology, he realized it had broader uses beyond prosthetic limbs. One such use? Medical transportation, particularly in military and emergency settings.
During battlefield evacuations and disaster relief efforts, injured patients are often exposed to extreme temperatures. The current solutions—ice packs or heating blankets—are rudimentary and not always reliable. Bryan envisions modular, portable temperature control systems that can be integrated into stretchers, medical pods, or even ambulances, helping to stabilize patient body temperature during transport. In trauma cases, where even a few degrees of temperature change can affect survival, this innovation could be lifesaving.
The 3D Printing Revolution and Customization
Parallel to Bryan’s innovation is another transformative force in prosthetics: 3D printing. Technology has already enabled more rapid, affordable, and customizable production of prosthetic limbs. Patients can now receive tailored designs that match their exact dimensions, even incorporating aesthetic elements that reflect personal style.
But while 3D printing has opened new doors, its full potential remains underutilized. Most 3D printed prosthetics focus on form and fit. Bryan’s work is a prime example of what the next evolution could look like: prosthetics that not only fit better but perform better under real-life conditions.
To truly advance the field, 3D printing manufacturers must collaborate closely with engineers, doctors, and amputees. The goal isn’t just to make limbs that look good or attach securely—it’s to make limbs that solve everyday problems like overheating, moisture retention, and winter cold. This is where HVAC-style integration becomes critical. Imagine 3D printed prosthetics with built-in airflow channels, sensor-driven temperature control, or thermally adaptive materials—all modeled and fabricated in a single, efficient process.
The Road Ahead: Patents, Partnerships, and Potential
Bryan has already secured patents for his designs. That intellectual property is his safeguard against the medical device giants that may eventually adopt similar technologies. But he’s not interested in gatekeeping. He hopes that big players in the prosthetics market will improve and scale his designs while providing him with licensing deals that fund further innovation.
In many ways, Bryan’s path mirrors that of other accidental inventors who saw a problem, had the technical chops to build a solution, and followed through with relentless energy. What sets him apart is that his innovation was born not in a lab, but through a lived experience, driven by necessity and shaped by a hands-on trade skill that turned out to be exactly what the field of prosthetics needed.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
The now permanent Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit is available for companies developing new or improved products, processes and/or software.
3D printing can help boost a company’s R&D Tax Credits. Wages for technical employees creating, testing and revising 3D printed prototypes are typically eligible expenses toward the R&D Tax Credit. Similarly, when used as a method of improving a process, time spent integrating 3D printing hardware and software can also be an eligible R&D expense. Lastly, when used for modeling and preproduction, the costs of filaments consumed during the development process may also be recovered.
Whether it is used for creating and testing prototypes or for final production, 3D printing is a great indicator that R&D Credit-eligible activities are taking place. Companies implementing this technology at any point should consider taking advantage of R&D Tax Credits.
A Blueprint for the Future
Bryan Costello’s journey is a reminder that the future of medical innovation doesn’t always come from inside the industry. Sometimes it comes from the outside: a technician who understands heat, pressure, and human discomfort in equal measure. By applying HVAC principles to prosthetics, Bryan has not only made limbs more bearable, but also opened the door to a whole new category of “smart” prosthetics—responsive, adaptive, and humane.
In the years ahead, we may look back at Bryan’s invention as the moment when prosthetics stopped being merely mechanical replacements and started becoming fully integrated extensions of the body, comfortable, capable, and designed for real life. With ongoing support, partnerships, and the right policy frameworks, the innovations pioneered by Costello Prosthetics could become the new standard, giving millions a better shot at a more mobile, comfortable, and empowered life.
